Tag Archives: giallo

Fog, Flesh, and Fear: The Doll of Satan and the Gothic Roots of Giallo

01 Sunday Jun 2025

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“Behind every shadow lies a secret. Behind every secret, a scream.”

🗝️ “Behind every shadow lies a secret. Behind every secret, a scream.”

By the time La bambola di Satana (The Doll of Satan) crept into Italian cinemas in 1969, the giallo genre was still sharpening its knives. Mario Bava had lit the fuse with The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) and Blood and Black Lace (1964), but it would be another year before Dario Argento’s The Bird with the Crystal Plumage pushed the subgenre into full flight. The Doll of Satan landed at a curious midpoint: a gothic thriller draped in giallo stylings, ripe with misty castles, erotic hallucinations, and a hooded killer lurking in the shadows.

Directed by Ferruccio Casapinta—his only directorial credit—this occult-tinged thriller follows Elisabeth, a young woman returning to her family’s ancestral castle after her uncle’s mysterious death. As the inheritance looms, so do whispers of hauntings, cryptic locals, and ulterior motives. Elisabeth is soon plagued by bizarre, erotically charged visions and finds herself trapped in a web of deceit, culminating in dungeon-bound torture at the hands of a masked figure. Her fiancé, Jack, begins to suspect that the castle’s legend hides a far more human treachery.

While The Doll of Satan never fully commits to the baroque excess or stylish violence that would come to define giallo in the 1970s, it bears several of the genre’s fingerprints: a vulnerable woman in a labyrinthine estate, conspiracies surrounding wealth and inheritance, dreamlike hallucinations, and a killer whose identity is concealed behind cloaks and masks. Yet it’s still deeply tethered to the gothic tradition—with its rain-slicked graveyards, ancestral curses, and fog-choked corridors, the film feels caught in the final breath of the old horror world, even as it reaches toward the future.

There’s an undeniable camp charm in the way the film blends eroticism and suspense, from the exaggerated dream sequences to the near-operatic melodrama. Bruno Nicolai’s score—steeped in mood and menace—adds a ghostly elegance that elevates the film beyond its limited budget and occasionally clunky pacing. Casapinta may not have had the finesse of Bava or the bravado of Argento, but he delivers a stylish, if uneven, curiosity that flirts with the giallo blueprint.

The Prognosis:

The Doll of Satan stands as a minor, though intriguing, footnote in the evolution of Italian horror. It reflects a moment of transformation—when horror cinema in Italy was beginning to trade gothic gloom for lurid thrills, and the supernatural gave way to psychological menace. For giallo enthusiasts and completists, it offers a seductive glimpse into that transitional twilight, where haunted castles began to echo with the sound of switchblades.

  • 1960s Retrospective Review by Saul Muerte

Deep Red (1975) – A Four-Star Giallo Masterpiece

06 Thursday Mar 2025

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Dario Argento’s Deep Red (Profondo Rosso, 1975) is often considered the ultimate giallo experience, a film that masterfully blends slasher-style horror with psychological intrigue. Following The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971), Deep Red solidified Argento’s status as the undisputed maestro of the genre, elevating giallo to new artistic and cinematic heights.

A Symphony of Violence and Mystery

The film follows Marcus Daly (David Hemmings), an English pianist in Rome who becomes entangled in a gruesome murder investigation after witnessing the brutal slaying of a psychic. Teaming up with determined journalist Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi), Marcus embarks on a dangerous search for the killer. As he delves deeper into the mystery, his memories of the crime scene prove to be more unreliable than he initially believed, leading to a series of increasingly shocking and violent revelations.

Argento infuses Deep Red with his signature stylistic flourishes: extreme close-ups, vibrant colour palettes, and elaborate set pieces. The film’s cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller is nothing short of breathtaking, amplifying the surreal, nightmarish quality of the narrative. The murders, choreographed with almost balletic precision, are among the most iconic in giallo history.

Thematic Depth: Memory, Vision, and Perception

At its core, Deep Red is a meditation on the fallibility of memory and perception. The film repeatedly plays with the idea that what we see is not always what we remember, a theme that lends itself to one of Argento’s most brilliantly constructed plot twists. The film also explores notions of sex, crime, trauma, and psychological deterioration, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and unease.

Argento uses recurring motifs of eyes and vision to reinforce these themes—whether through mirrors, paintings, or the protagonist’s own subjective experience. The result is a film that challenges the audience to question reality itself, engaging them in the mystery in a uniquely interactive way.

Goblin’s Unforgettable Soundtrack

No discussion of Deep Red would be complete without mentioning its legendary soundtrack. Composed by Goblin, the progressive rock score is a pulsating, hypnotic force that drives the film’s tension to near-unbearable levels. Tracks like “Profondo Rosso” and “Death Dies” have become as iconic as the film itself, perfectly complementing its eerie and unpredictable mood. The collaboration between Argento and Goblin, which would continue in Suspiria (1977), set a new standard for horror film soundtracks.

A Giallo Benchmark

Deep Red is not just one of Argento’s finest films; it is one of the greatest giallo films ever made. Its labyrinthine plot, mesmerising cinematography, and shocking violence make it an essential viewing experience for horror and thriller fans alike. While some may prefer the supernatural stylings of Suspiria, Deep Red remains Argento’s most refined and intricate mystery, a film that rewards repeat viewings with its complex narrative and visual artistry.

The Prognosis:

With Deep Red, Argento crafted a masterpiece of horror and intrigue, blending psychological complexity with unrelenting terror. Even decades later, it stands as an exhilarating and chilling cinematic experience, a film that continues to haunt and fascinate audiences worldwide.

  • Saul Muerte

Autopsy at 50: The Feverish Giallo That Cuts to the Bone

18 Saturday Jan 2025

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“It’ll take you… apart!”

Few films embody the essence of the 1970s Italian giallo scene quite like Armando Crispino’s Autopsy (Macchie Solari). This macabre gem not only weaves a gripping murder mystery but also drenches it in the feverish, sun-scorched paranoia of its Roman setting. Half a century later, Autopsy remains a haunting exploration of obsession, trauma, and the sinister intersection of science and faith.

Set during an oppressive heatwave, the film follows Simona Sanna (played with icy brilliance by Mimsy Farmer), a young pathologist obsessed with distinguishing suicides from murders for her thesis. Simona’s world is thrown into disarray when a young woman connected to her philandering father is found dead in an apparent suicide. Teaming up with Father Paul Lenox (Barry Primus), the victim’s priestly brother, she embarks on a labyrinthine quest to uncover the truth.

What begins as a clinical investigation quickly spirals into a hallucinatory descent. Crispino blurs the lines between logic and madness, crafting an atmosphere that’s as suffocating as the Roman sun baking its characters alive.

The film’s unsettling tone is amplified by Ennio Morricone’s score, which combines eerie whispers, discordant strings, and unnerving vocalisations. Morricone’s work here is a masterclass in auditory unease, immersing viewers in Simona’s fractured psyche.

Crispino’s direction leverages the giallo’s visual trademarks—lurid colour palettes, striking cinematography, and gruesome set pieces. The morgue scenes are particularly effective, juxtaposing clinical sterility with grotesque detail.

Autopsy delves deeper than the standard giallo fare, exploring themes of mortality, guilt, and the fragility of human connection. Simona’s profession as a pathologist isn’t just a plot device; it’s a metaphor for her attempt to dissect the inexplicable chaos of life and death. Her growing bond with Father Lenox adds a layer of spiritual tension, as the priest’s faith collides with her scientific detachment.

The film’s use of solar flares as a narrative device is both inspired and unnerving. Crispino ties the sun’s erratic behavior to the characters’ unraveling sanity, making the heatwave feel like an omnipresent antagonist.

While Autopsy didn’t achieve the same level of fame as some of its contemporaries, it has earned a devoted following among giallo enthusiasts. Its fusion of psychological horror and murder mystery sets it apart, offering a chilling alternative to the more stylised works of Dario Argento or Mario Bava.

Fifty years on, Autopsy still holds its power to disturb and intrigue. It’s a film that invites repeated viewings, each time revealing new layers of meaning and menace. For fans of the genre, it’s a must-watch; for newcomers, it’s an unsettling introduction to the giallo’s darker, more cerebral side.

  • Saul Muerte

Blood and Black Lace: A Masterpiece of Giallo and Mario Bava’s Vision

02 Friday Aug 2024

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In the realm of horror cinema, few films have left an indelible mark as profound as Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964). This cinematic gem is often hailed as a quintessential piece in the Giallo genre, a subgenre of Italian horror that melds mystery, thriller, and often, lurid crime. With Blood and Black Lace, Bava not only solidified his legacy as a master of horror but also elevated the Giallo genre to new artistic heights.

From the opening sequence, Bava’s signature style is unmistakable. The film begins with a hauntingly beautiful scene, drenched in vivid colors and set against the backdrop of a chic fashion house. This juxtaposition of high fashion and brutal murder sets the tone for what is to come—a visual feast where beauty and horror coexist in a disturbingly harmonious dance.

Bava’s genius lies in his ability to marry striking visual artistry with macabre storytelling. His use of color is nothing short of revolutionary. In Blood and Black Lace, the director employs a rich palette of reds, blues, and greens, creating a surreal, almost dreamlike atmosphere. Each frame is meticulously composed, making the film as much a visual experience as a narrative one. This approach not only enhances the suspense but also establishes a vivid, immersive world that is uniquely Bava’s.

The narrative itself is a gripping whodunit, revolving around a series of gruesome murders in a high-end fashion salon. The plot, while engaging, serves as a canvas for Bava’s true focus: the exploration of human depravity and the fragility of beauty. The killer, masked and enigmatic, moves with a chilling grace, embodying the very essence of the Giallo villain—a figure of both allure and terror.

What truly sets Blood and Black Lace apart is Bava’s masterful use of suspense and pacing. The director’s camera glides through the opulent sets, capturing moments of stillness before exploding into violence. This rhythmic tension keeps viewers on edge, never allowing them to settle. Each murder is depicted with a level of brutality that was unprecedented at the time, yet Bava’s elegant direction ensures that the film never veers into gratuitousness.

The influence of Blood and Black Lace on the Giallo genre—and on horror cinema as a whole—cannot be overstated. Bava’s film laid the groundwork for future Giallo masterpieces by directors like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. The film’s aesthetic, characterized by its bold use of color, intricate set designs, and stylish violence, became a template for the genre. Additionally, the iconic image of the masked killer would go on to inspire countless slasher films in the decades that followed.

Moreover, Bava’s work in Blood and Black Lace transcends the boundaries of genre filmmaking. The film is a testament to the director’s vision and his ability to elevate horror to an art form. It is a perfect marriage of style and substance, where every element—from the lush cinematography to the eerie score—works in concert to create an unforgettable experience.

The Legacy:

Blood and Black Lace remains a cornerstone of horror cinema, celebrated for its innovation and enduring impact. Mario Bava’s vision, combined with the distinct elements of the Italian Giallo, resulted in a film that is both timeless and influential. It is a masterpiece that continues to captivate and inspire, a shining example of what can be achieved when a director’s artistic vision aligns perfectly with the genre’s potential.

In Blood and Black Lace, Mario Bava did not just create a film; he crafted a visual symphony of horror, beauty, and suspense that stands as a crowning achievement in both his career and the annals of cinema.

  • Saul Muerte

Useful Links:

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Movie review: Dario Argento Panico

03 Saturday Feb 2024

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One could argue that no one has crafted such an impact on the horror genre nor weaved a unique style into the fold than Italian Maestro, Dario Argento. Director Simone Scafidi attempts to fashion a visual insight into the auteur’s life and work through a series of archival footage and mixture of interviews from industry admirers such as Guilermo Del Toro; Nicholas Winding Refn, and Gasper Noe; long-time collaborators, Michele Soavi and Lamberto Bava; and family members such as his sister Floriana and daughters Asia and Fiore. All of whom offer their own take on what made Argento such a remarkable talent. That’s not to say that Scafidi isn’t willing to look deeper into Argento’s character, skirting around some of the less than desirable attributes that can be carried by gifted and driven disposition. It’s an area that sparks the potential to venture into the lengths that an individual may go to in order to create their vision. This issue is that Scafidi merely dangles this observation before the viewer, little willing to venture below the surface of Argento’s veneer.

That being said, there is plenty to stoke the fire of creativity on show, and Dario Argento Panico produces a window into a remarkable career, including moments with the man himself, talking through his own observations and reasonings across a multitude of highs and lows, starting with his impactful beginnings and the animal trilogy, The Bird With The Crystal Plumage; The Cat O’Nine Tails; and Four Flies on Grey Velvet, including the Three Mothers trilogy, Suspiria, Inferno, and The Mother of Tears. Just the tip of the iceberg, but one that we can gracefully skate across an absorbing collection of works.

The Prognosis:

Dario Argento Panico is a documentary that testifies to the remarkable talent that the director has provided in the celluloid world. It will no doubt grip cinephiles and fans of Argento’s work, but there is lost potential here, where the director is all too willing to skim the surface, neglecting the urge to cut deeper into the character, and the balance between greatness and the sacrifice one makes to achieve high standards, damning all that may fall between. There are moments that Scafidi dalliances with the heart of an auteur and one can only wonder how far he would have pushed the knife, to cut open and dissect the things that maketh the man.

  • Saul Muerte

Dario Argento Panico is currently streaming on Shudder.

Movie review: Dark Glasses (2022)

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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Movie review: Dark Glasses

There has been a 10 year absence since “The Master of Horror” Dario Argento stepped behind the camera to call the shots. That feature was the much maligned adaptation to Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece, Dracula… in this case in the 3D variety.

Apparently stirred into action when Argento’s daughter Asia discovered the script, Dark Glasses bears a lot of the hallmarks to what made this directing auteur great. Tapping into the giallo scene that built his name, Argento weaves a narrative around Italian escort Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli) who is attacked and pursued by a serial killer. She manages to escape but in her flight she is involved in a car crash, resulting in her loss of sight and the death of two of the occupants in the other car. They were the parents of Chin, who manages to survive the wreck and becomes the subject of Diana’s guilt and road to recovery. 

At first Chin is reluctant to receive her care but soon warms to her maternal protection. The issue and conflict arises with the serial killer still on the loose and hellbent on finishing off what he started,

The Prognosis:

Dark Glasses imbues the heightened sexuality and psychological trauma that is oft’ a part of Argento’s cinematic playground. 

Pastorelli produces a compelling and sensual-yet-damaged protagonist in distress, but the narrative falls in numerous places and loses structure as result. 

This patchwork of Argento’s formative years has moments of success and is still visually arresting at times, but it struggles to string together a cohesiveness worthy enough to allow these notes to sing.

  • Saul Muerte

Dark Glasses will be streaming on Shudder Anz from Thurs 13th October.

Retrospective: All The Colours of the Dark (1972)

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIpVXC5WDIg

Just when I thought that I couldn’t fall more in love with the Giallo scene, I stumbled across this gem.

Directed by Sergio Martino, All The Colours of the Dark celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is simply sublime.

Often overlooked and wrongfully compared with Rosemary’s Baby, purely for its association with the occult and horror entering into the suburban household.

Since then. ATCOTD has been struggling to pry itself free from this shadow.

This is a shame because the film lives out to the Giallo name with it’s slick and decisive visuals, peppered with a convoluted story around the psychological state of mind.

Our lead protagonist and potentially unhinged lady, Jane (Edwige Fenech) has just cause for her trauma, with her mother tragically dying when she was just five years old and recently losing her baby, it’s no wonder that life has weighed down on her soul.

When she starts to see a strange, blue eyed man following her, those closest to her, Jane’ sister Barbara (Nieves Navarro) and James’ husband doubt her story, passing it off as a psychotic state.

With no one believing her, not even her doctor, and with Jane’s nightmares of a knife-wielding man becoming all too real, she turns to a neighbour and potential confidante out of the doldrums of suburbia.

Willing to try anything, Jane’s neighbour entices her to attend a black mass and from here on in her troubles amplify.

There’s plenty to tantalise here, with seduction, betrayal, bloody killings, and a satanic cult. Martino crafts a sublime story with stunning, over-the-top and at times psychedelic visuals.

I can’t wait to delve into my next Giallo film off the back of this.

– Saul Muerte

Retrospective: Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)

12 Thursday Aug 2021

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The more I delve into the giallo film scene, the deeper I fall in love with the sub-genre. Black Belly of the Tarantula has all the hallmarks of a classic example of the movement with a complex thriller and mystery populated with stylised murders that keeps you guessing to the film’s conclusion. It’s added benefit is that it has a beautiful score from the great Ennio Morricone, providing further substance to the drama as it unfolds.

Italian director Paulo Cavara weaves a cracking tale following Detective Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini) charged with the muder case. The murder in question is centred on Maria, who is killed by an unknown assailant, who is dressed in black and wearign surgical gloves. The killer injects Maria with a chemical that leaves her parlaysed but still conscious while they carry out their deathly needs. Our chief suspect is Maria, husband Paolo, who recently discovered her infidelity

Throughout the film we see Tellini at home discussing the job with his wife and admits that he feels not cut out for the job. This vulnerability that Tellini discloses is part of the film’s appeal, willing to show our protagonist at his weakest and most open allows the audience closer to his character in the process. 

It is when another murder is commited however, that bears no connection to Maria’s death that the case is thrown wide open, and the complexity begins. We also get another insight into the film’s title when Tellini visits a scientist who informs him of a species of wasp that paralyzes tarantulas before eviscerating them.

As the film snakes its way to a satisfying, yet brutal conclusion, the audience is dealt with some highly charged investigation that isn’t afraid to throw a few dead ends into the mix. And like most giallos, BBOTT manages to deliver sublime stylised deaths. Marcello Gatti’s cinematographer captures the visual energy of the piece, lifting the quality of the movie and for me, is one of the better films of its genre and I could happily revisit it again. 

  • Saul Muerte

Retrospective: The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

08 Sunday Aug 2021

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Another Giallo horror film marks a milestone this year with Emilio Miraglia’s The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave celebrating 50 years since its initial release. 

At its heart the film is a tale that depicts how the wealthy are inescapable of punishment, free to carry out their wims. Where it gets slightly complex is through the unhinged mind of its central character Alan (Anthony Steffen) who is mentally scarred when he finds his wife making love to a man. It’s a bender that sends him into an institution, but upon release his unstable condition is all too apparent when he hires red-haired prostitutes that remind him of his wife, to enact tortuous and murderous acts upon them as a form of warped revenge.

The twist in the tale however, comes when Alan attends a séance where the medium makes contact with Evelyn sending Alan spiralling downwards. It is here that Alan’s cousin George moves into the mansion to take care of him, but does he have an ulterior motive?

To add more oddity to the fold, Alan then meets Gladys (Marina Malfatti) he instantly falls for her charms (maybe a little too easily) and it is not long that they are wed and Gladys too moves into the mansion. Then the sinister nature of the movie takes hold again as Gladys begins to experience some further goings on at the mansion when she meets Evelyn’s brother and his invalid Aunt, who instantly take a dislike to Alan’s new bride. Gladys is convinced that Evelyn may have faked her own death, and is still alive haunting the mansion and sending Alan further into repression.

There are further twists and turns throughout the narrative like most giallos’ of the era before a conclusion is reached. As it unravels, the madness of the piece is on show and its convoluted plot never really awakens in the mind of this writer and leaves me a little unsatisfied as a result. Not nearly as clever or complex as other films in the Giallo genre, and a little more gratuitous for the sake of it. The ending tries to be smart and shocking but instead, it just leaves you feeling cold.

  • Saul Muerte

Retrospective: The Cat O’Nine Tails (1971)

15 Thursday Jul 2021

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The Cat O’Nine Tails (Il gatto a nove code) identified as a Giallo film from Italy, with its themes of mystery and heightened thrillers that became popular through the 70s and 80s boasts the great Italian director Dario Argento.
Despite having some visual traits and symbolism throughout that still tie this movie to the giallo scene, Argento has cited the film as one of his least favoured among his credits.

These may seem like modest words but under closer scrutiny the film does struggle a little under the weight of its exposition and in doing so, can be hard to navigate through its narrative.

The story needs to have some twists and turns along the way to allow the mystery to bear fruit but the telling of that journey can feel laborious at times.

The main context of the tale centres on a mysterious break in of the Terzi Medical Institute where it appears that nothing was taken, and yet one of the doctors, Calabresi believes he knows the culprit, and when he attempts to blackmail the individual is then murdered when pushed before a train.

This opens up the investigation for an unlikely duo, reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus) and former hot shot reporter, the elderly, blind Franco “Cookie” Arno (Karl Malden) who still has a nose for a story. Between them, they identify nine possible leads that they could follow in order to identify the killer. The nine leads are the basis of the title Cat o’nine tails and along with it the mysterious journey to our conclusion begins and takes us through the local crypt and a thrilling conclusion on a rooftop. The tension of which is fueled by Franco’s blindness.

Despite the unfavourable comments of his own work, I found The Cat O’Nine Tails an entertaining one despite its complexity. I personally found the intricate narrative added to the mystery and allows the audience to traverse its murky case to a satisfying and thrilling conclusion. The hands of Argento manage to mould his visual style through the giallo lens and produce a worthy addition to the Italian celluloid movement that is well worth your time and satisfies on many levels.

  • Saul Muerte